Pritzker Courts Illinois Farmers in Third-Term Bid as 2028 Speculation Grows

CHICAGO: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is taking his re-election campaign deep into the state’s farm country, in a rural outreach effort that has drawn comparisons to a presidential-style campaign as speculation about a 2028 White House run continues to build.

The billionaire Democrat, who is seeking a rare third term in the November 3 midterm elections, recently campaigned in Shirley, a village of about 135 residents, where he visited Funk Farms, a two-century-old corn, soybean and livestock operation that was once represented by a young Abraham Lincoln when he practised law. Earlier this month, at a farm in Gardner, he promoted a pilot programme offering farmers low-interest loans to build grain storage.

Pritzker’s farm visits reflect a wider Democratic strategy to tap into rural frustration over lost export markets and rising costs, which critics attribute to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the US-Israeli war with Iran. Illinois farmers have been hit by reduced overseas demand for soybeans and sharp increases in fuel and fertiliser prices. Pritzker told Reuters that family farms are going bankrupt and that the priority is to keep farmers in business.

In August, the governor signed an agreement with Indonesia, the fourth-largest market for US soybeans, aimed at expanding agricultural trade, and he has pressed the federal government to change course on trade policy. He has acknowledged, however, that a governor’s influence over federal policy is limited.

The White House says it has strengthened the farm safety net, and the administration is expected to send more than $50 billion to farmers this year, the second-largest relief package in US history. Many farmers, however, say the payments do not offset higher input costs.

Pritzker’s Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, has conceded that federal trade policy and the Iran war have hurt farmers, but argues that the governor’s focus on Trump misses the point. Bailey says cutting property taxes and abolishing the estate tax would do far more for farmers than what he called pandering.

Other Democrats see an opening in rural areas as well, with former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel telling Reuters there is a political opportunity for the party. Pritzker, who also holds a significant fundraising advantage over Bailey, declined to say whether he intends to seek the presidency in 2028, insisting that Democrats should concentrate on winning the midterms first.